Automatic bathroom flushers have become increasingly prevalent, particularly in public restrooms, both for flushing toilets and urinals. Such flushers contribute to hygiene, facility cleanliness and water conservation.
There are several types of tankless bathroom flushers on the market including flushers supplied by Sloan Valve Company, for example, sold as ROYAL® or GEM® flush valves. ROYAL® flush valves may be manually operated, or automatically operated using OPTIMA® controllers and infrared sensors. In general, bathroom flushers receive a pressurized water supply at an input and provide flush water at an output during a flush cycle. The flush cycle provides a predetermined amount of water (depending on the external water pressure) even though there is no water tank.
In manual flushers, users initiate a flushing cycle by displacing a handle that controls a flushing mechanism including a piston or a flexible diaphragm. The handle movement causes a water leak from a control or pilot chamber to the flusher's output, which lowers pressure in the pilot chamber. Due to the lower pressure, the external water pressure lifts the flusher's piston or diaphragm from a valve seat thereby enabling water flow. The stroke of the piston or diaphragm controls the volume of water passing through the flush valve. After some time, the pressure in the pilot chamber increases (through a control passage) forcing the piston or diaphragm onto the valve seat and thus terminating the water flow.
In automatic flushers, an object sensor initiates the flushing cycle, where an actuator opens a relief passage enabling water flow from the pilot chamber to the flusher's output. This flow lowers pressure in the pilot chamber. Due to the lower pressure, as mentioned above, the external pressure lifts the flusher's piston or diaphragm from a valve seat thereby enabling main water flow used for flushing. After the actuator seals the relief passage, the pressure in the pilot chamber increases forcing the piston or diaphragm onto the valve seat and thus closing the water flow. Manual flush valves (e.g., ROYAL® flush valves) may be converted into automatically operated valves using a controller and sensor unit, sold under the name OPTIMA® by Sloan Valve Company. Overall, the flush valves supplied by Sloan Valve Company are durable, highly reliable, and suitable for long-term operation.
There is, however, a need for improved automatic flushers due to a high demand for flushers and their need in thousands of restrooms.